I have a strange shape that's making finding a bra really impossible for me (along with a very very limited budget.) Basically, I have shallow breast tissue that starts at my collar bone, but my actual breasts aren't shallow - they have a very narrow root with a lot of projection. Because of this, I can't find a style that works.

"Full on top" style bras are nearly always too shallow for me, and I gape at the top and orange-in-glass on the bottom, not to mention they almost always have wide wires. All the other bras, especially Freya, which should fit my shape otherwise, seem to consistently cut into me too much at the top of the cup (but if I size up, it's too big.)

To compound problems, I have a long torso, as described in this blog post with all the accompanying fit issues.

Oh, and on top of everything else, I can barely tolerate balconette wires and other high gores because they stab me so badly and irritate my acid reflux. I have to bend them at a significant angle to avoid the problem (I think I may be slightly pigeon chested.)

So far, the closest thing I have to a fit is my Freya Carys padded longline halfcup, but the wires are too wide and the 30 band is too big because it is so stretchy. (Edit to add: It's a 30FF, and I quadboob a little when fully swoop and scooped but it settles basically immediately to slight gaping. The gore doesn't quiiiite tack, but it's only maybe half a centimeter off my chest. The band is obviously too big in that I barely have to stretch it to hook it on the tightest hooks, but it doesn't ride up because it's longline.)

My measurements are underbust: anywhere from 28.5 to 31.5, depending on water retention that day, and bust: 38.5.

Because of my many issues, bratabase suggested fits have not been very good (and many of them are just out of my budget.) If anyone has any bra suggestions, I would thoroughly welcome them.

Thanks in advance for the help :)

Okay, everyone, thank you so much! I have this lovely list of bras to try out now! Of course I would still love recommendations if anyone has anymore, but this is exactly what I was looking for. I think what I'll end up doing is ordering as many of these as I can get from Nordstrom and other places with free returns, figuring out what fits, returning them all and then keeping an eye out for the ones that do fit on braswap/ebay/bratabase/on sale. You rock, ABTF.

Have you tried the Panache Andorra? I have the plunge version and I really like it, the full cup is supposed to be really good too. The top part of the cup is stretchy lace so it really helps with the cutting-in issue.

I have really similar issues to you (same underbust, about a 40" bust, and very similar shape). I like the Andorra too. The only think I would suggest is that you might have to bend the underwires a little. Fresh from the store, the wires will lay flat against a flat surface like a table. Our ribcages aren't flat, and since the underwires are a big portion of the band, they stretch around the torso. Sometimes the underwires want to slice through our torsoes, since the torso is round, and the underwire wants to stay in it's flat plane. Bending the bottom of the wire just a smidge takes care of a lot of the issue.

Edit: Try this in a 30G or 30GG. The band on this is waaay tighter than Freya's bands. A 28 would probably kill you.

It's interesting you say the Andorra bands are very tight! I find them very stretchy!
I had to switch from my usual 32H to a 30J in the Andorra (had to size up in the cup as well). And I measure around 32.5/33 around my underbust.

Mine was the teal color. What color did you have? Also, I feel that Freya tends to be stretchier than Panache in general. I have 30 bands from Freya that I can't wear on the tightest hook without them sliding up my back, but this one I have on the loosest hook still.

Mine is the black one. I don't wear Freya bras any more (they do NOTHING for my shape!), so I couldn't comment on the comparison, I stick almost exclusively to Panache and Ewa Michalak, but I did find the Andorra was much stretchier in the band than my Jasmine.

Okay, any chance you could explain (like you're explaining to an idiot) exactly how to bend the underwires? I bend my gores already, but I'm flummoxed as to what exactly people are doing when they say they bend the underwires to the ribcage.

Thanks for the recommendation! I"ve been hearing that from everyone, think I definitely have to look into it!

Okay, I'm sure other people have done this other ways, but here is how I have done it for the Panache Andorra. While I was wearing the bra, it started to dig in to my ribcage. If my torso was a clock with my neck at 12, and my belly button at the 6, I'd say at the 5 for my one boob, and 7 for the other boob. So with one hand, I held the sides of the underwire down (at the gore, and under my armpit. And then with the other hand, I grabbed the bra underwire (again at 5 on the one side) and gave it a yank away from my ribcage. Kind of straight out, away from my body. Because I was holding the sides down, it only bent the wire were I was tugging on it. Repeat on other side.

Again, this may not work for you. Or you may find that the bra fits fine without digging into your ribcage.

Hi. You have all the same problems that I do though my gore issues are from having a slightly concave sternum. We even have very similar measurements though I am slightly larger. Unfortunately I have no solution as of yet so I am also very interested in suggestions.

Wow, I hadn't thought of that at all but that's a brilliant suggestion. I've been avoiding 32s just because I sometimes measure low enough to even go to 28, but Rixie Clip.... Duh. Lol. Thanks so much!!

Yeah, they look so great! I've been coveting them like crazyyy. As soon as I get a job, Ewa is my first stop.

I actually haven't tried the Deco (I think I'm the only person here who hasn't, haha.) I've been really intrigued by the Deco halfcup, but have been avoiding it because of cost.

I hadn't heard of Comexim at all, so I"ll have to look into them. I'm a little afraid of Ewa, just because the whole process seems so complicated and scary, but I think at some point I just have to cave in and venture into scary and expensive things - my boobies are worth it, after all!